Where to start…

Number 59 Brick Lane – Half way down the street, past the market, near the curry houses on the right

Brick Lane is in Tower Hamlets, which I believe was once part of the borough of Popular, but around the 1960’s, became part of the borough of Tower Hamlets. The market on Brick Lane could date back as far as the French Huguenots who were some of the earliest immigrants to the area, followed by Jewish, Irish and in the last few decades, Bangladeshi. Now there is talk of the area being the next Silicon Valley, with the burgeoning Digital Media business scene based there, plus the area’s recession beating trendiness; bars, galleries, clubs and boutiques. This is after the gentrification of the area to the North and West of Brick Lane, by Artists notably the Young British Artists of the late 80’s and 90’s and other creative types that followed, chasing cheap rent and industrial spaces.

One place of interest on Brick Lane is number 59. From this unique building we can start to understand the history of the area, if not Europe and Eurasia:

Originally the French Huguenot community built the building as a Protestant Church and small school in 1743. They had migrated fleeing religious persecution by the Catholics at home, and had been arriving in the area since the 1680’s.  The Huguenot brought with them their silk weaving skills and also built rows of Georgian town houses, which made up much of the architecture in the area.

From 1809 59 Brick Lane was ‘The Jews’ Chapel’ Housing The London Society for Promoting Christianity Among the Jews. The society failed to have a great impact on the residents of Brick Lane, so chose to relocate. After that period of the building was taken over in 1819 by the Methodists who had a strong relation to the East End.

From 1897 the building was the principle Synagogue of the area serving the Jewish community in the East End following the assassination of the Tsar of Russia in 1881. In the 1960s the Jewish community in the area dwindled as many moved to north London.

Since 1976 the building has been one of the largest mosques in the capital Jamme Masjid, which houses a Prayer Hall and school for religious instruction.

This building is a symbol of change and continuity, being claimed by each successive community as its own.

Street Market as Public Space/Shared Space

People live and work side by side. Brick lane has been noted as a successful integration of immigrant communities.

The linear axis of the street is one way to image Brick Lane. The Sunday market that attracts 1000s of visitors who enter the street from 3 main points North, South and Middle. The markets trail down Brick Lane, dispersing down side streets, into warehouses, car parks, and up flights of stairs. This spread is akin to a network growth out from a linear axis, gathering with density some where in the middle.

One graphical function of a linear axis is a gradient, applicable here in noting the change of types of permanent businesses along the market streets. From the Bethnal Green Road on one side to the Osborn Street/Whitechapel Road on the other. (To talk about a top or a bottom doesn’t feel right here, neither does the left or right… Lets settle for North and South, respectively. )

So from the northern most corners of the street, where two bars of differing style (one Hip’py-esque the other Hip’ster-esque) bookend the junction, the north side is predominantly bars, clubs, galleries, boutiques, and a handful of hookah lounges and a handful of small independent restaurants and cafes. A small number of leather wholesalers, (suggesting the textile heritage of the area,) are managing to hold onto their shops and warehouses despite gentrification and regeneration, though some have adapted their business to meet the range of clientele for boutiques...

Whilst the southern end of the street is full of Indian Restaurants, clothing and textiles shops for saris and other Indian fashion items, literature on Islam, fresh Indian street food and imported goods, all owned by members of the Bangladeshi community, (upon who’s younger generation the future of the story of the communities integration will inevitably fall) The further north the less the businesses are affected by the pressures of the Islamic Bangladeshi community with regards to the sale of alcohol.

It is necessary to consider the diverse histories of Brick Lane, from the different and successive immigration into the area, and how the religious identification shape the area’s politics and influence.  Here number 59 is important, as discussed above as an architectural continuation, and also the street axis and network sprawl of the market and businesses.

Changing Discourse

I want also to look at the way it is talked about, the discourse on multiculturalism; it’s scapegoating by successive centre-right governments David Cameron (UK), Angela Merkel (Germany), Nicolas Sarkozy (France) for example. And, how the newspapers and media, butt up against the social forces that actually comprise the community.

This story is played out in the relationships between language; visual, symbolic, that we see and read in the press, on the one hand – and what we experience first hand on the streets; on the other, it is paramount that we do not take the news at face value but try to look at the agenda of those in power and question their motives, and look at the movements on the streets.

To attempt to identify the systemic and/or linguistic forms that shape our understanding (and to look at the notions of power and class) how Brick Lane is formulated and discussed in the Media; Muslim stereotyping, immigrant integration, local politics… (such as the recently elected mayor of tower hamlets) is this is the true discourse that is expressed by the communities who live there? What are their aspirations, their understandings and what are the consequences for their livelihoods? 

In this regard I would like to consider a form of language used in opposition to the media, the government and police i.e. street protests, taking two examples from 2010: the first, the demonstration on 10 November against the proposed cuts in education. The second, the demonstration on 20 June against Fascism and the EDL and the events that led up to it and the cancellation of the Islamic Conference. (With notes on Zizek.)

These two separate events intertwine in relation to form, but there is one aspect, which I feel at this time, is worth focusing on, that is with regard to Slavoj Zizek’s Violence Revisited public lecture held at Birkbeck, and a question from a member of the public in attendance that caught Zizek’s attention:

Zizek was delivering a paper, On Violence Revisited, On Violence… an earlier publication by Zizek which primarily looks at tolerance and violence, and power; systemic and linguistic, conceptualised across different frameworks including international politics – Palestine and Israel. And, arguments on liberal capitalism, and nation states.

In the lecture, just a few days after the 10 November anti university cuts and fees demonstration, Zizek opened with the Milbank Protest against cuts and fees in Higher Education; How education serves society, produces experts etc… The demo, according to Zizek, creates disorder. A disorder, for which ‘the government would bring in psychologists and sociologists to discuss the ‘Problem’.’  It is how this ‘Problem’ is constructed and formulated by the media, and discussed in government, which is of interest as they are primarily concerned with keeping the balance of power in their favour.

The question from the audience was the idea of counteracting the terminology and use of the word ‘violence’ – ‘speaking about violence without speaking about it’ – in a way in defence the actions attributed as ‘violent’ described by the press and politicians, – as example of the smashing of the windows at the Tory HQ. Is it possible for the people to counteract the message of violence constructed by the press? I.e “this is not violence, the true violence is what the government is doing to our society…” How much is this a ‘common-sense’ reaction? And, if we can explain it well, we can win change… the questions is about the strategy and tactics, new method and outlets through which we can communicate the truth of situations, and the sense in which we can put the point across that this is not violence; others will start to see the point.

Young Adam Thomas

 

All images Dave Hill,
published in the Guardian on 21 June 2010: One Day After the Anti EDL March.  

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2010/jun/21/tower-hamlets-english-defence-league-march

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Key concepts from Violence Revisited, Public Lecture
by Salvoj Zizek, 12 November, 2010, Birkbeck
two days after the milbank riots/Nov 10 National Union of Students  Demonstration.  

Disorder,
Disorientation, Notions of Disorientation, Confused situation, Livelihood,
Democratic Livelihood, Western liberals, Multiculturalism, Tolerance, Immigrant
racism, Truth, Anti-Capitalist movements, Legal Moralistic Limit, The Media,
Feel-Good Morality, Violence, Brutal humiliation, Happiness, Pervasiveness of
violence, Liberated Zones, Exteriorities of Resistance, Politics at a Distance,
China, Virtual Problems and Democracy, Grass Roots.